Agency Details:

Oakland Farms-to-Schools Network

The Oakland Farms-to-Schools Network seeks to establish and support a city-wide, school-based local food system that increases access to fresh, healthy and affordable food for Oakland residents and promotes healthy school environments for our children and families.

Description:
The Oakland Farms-to-Schools Network (OFTSN) provides administration of and support to public schools in Oakland to establish and operate a network of School Produce Markets in Oakland; and partners with the Oakland Unified School District to increase produce purchasing from local farmers. OFTSN houses the accounting systems, produce procurement, and central distribution systems for the School Produce Markets network, in addition to providing training and professional development, and nutrition education and social marketing support to School Produce Market sites.

The School Produce Markets are fresh produce markets operated weekly at public elementary schools in Oakland, where parent staff and volunteers operate sales of pesticide-free and mostly locally grown fruits, vegetables, eggs, nuts and honey to other parents, students, neighbors and school staff. School Produce Markets sites are all schools in which 70% or more of students qualify for free/reduced lunch, and are located in food insecure neighborhoods of Oakland.

History:
After a youth-led community food assessment in 2005, and a focus group in which parents expressed a desire for a farmers' market in the community, two School Produce Markets were piloted and have been operating at two public elementary schools in the San Antonio neighborhood of Oakland since Spring 2006. The growing popularity of this project among other schools in the district has prompted a partnership with the Oakland Unified School District to expand School Produce Markets to 25 schools by 2012, starting with 12 schools in October 2009.

Contact person: Christine Cherdboonmuang, Program Coordinator, (phone), (email)

Office fax number: (510) 533-6825

Address:

2025 E. 12th St. Oakland, CA 94606 (See a map)

Web Site: None specified

Directions:

This is NOT the location of the volunteer opportunities with OFTSN. This serves only as a mailing address for use by the Volunteer Center of the East Bay.

Last updated on October 11, 2009